Tube feeder and cutter



July 24, 1934. A, M. SCOT-r 1,967,374

TUBE FEEDER AND CUTTER Filed March l5, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet l 077%@ rnys.

July 24, 1934. A. M. scoTT TUBE FEEDER AND CUTTER Filed March 15, 1930 6Sheets-Sheet 2 July 24, 1934- A. M. SCOTT TUBE FEEDER AND CUTTER 6Siuheets-Sheet 3 Filed March l5, 1930 @verda/v: cyW/Q/ 66077? www( jm@WM/Mw d.

July 24, 1934. A M SCQTT 1,967,374

TUBE FEEDER AND CUTTER Filed March 15, 195o v e sheets-sheet 4 52 W Mza#M July 24, 1934. A' M SCOTT TUBE FEEDER AND CUTTER Filed March l5, 19306 Sheets-Sheet 5 July 24, 1934. A M. SCQTT 1,967,374

TUBE FEEDER AND CUTTER Filed March l5, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 ZigPatented July 24, 1934 i UNITED STATES 1,967,374 TUBE FEEDER AND CUTTERAllan M. Scott, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assigner to The Quaker Oats Company,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 15,

44 Claims.

My invention relates to means for severing an article into a pluralityof sections, and it has particular relation to an apparatus forautomatically cuttingia 'tube into. a plurality of sections.

. A large number of products are at present packed in cylindricalcontainers commonly known as paper cans. Such containers are formed byplacing caps at the top and bottom of a cylindrical section, whichlatter is usually made of paper or other readily-formable material.

It is an object of my invention to facilitate the production of thecylindrical section portions of such packages by providing a machine towhich long tubes may be automatically fed, Vand in which such tubes maybe cut into a plurality of sections, which cut sections may thereafterbe expeditiously ejected from said machine. j i Another object is toprovide a means for automatically cutting tubes into sections ofpredetermined length and in `Which all operations of receiving, cuttingand ejecting are performed independently of the attention of anoperator.

It is valso an object to `provide a machine for performing the abovementioned operations which Willbe automatically stopped and started toprevent the cutting and ejecting of the sections faster than they can beconveniently removed.

A further object is the provision of a tube feeding and cutting machineof relatively small dimensions even though it comprehends a feeding Zoneand a cutting zone, the articles being moved into the latter' from theformer. Y

Another object is to provide an automatic tube cutting machine which maybe easily adjusted to cut the tubes into substantially any desirednumber of sections.

Further objects will be apparent from the specifications and appendedclaims.

In, `the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a machine em bodying` my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of a clutch mechanism of the machinetaken on a line substantially corresponding to line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional View taken on a line corresponding to line3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig.- 4 is a detail sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is atopplan View of the cutting zone which comprises the left-hand end ofthe machine; i

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the right-hand end of the machine whichincludes the feeding zone; Fig. 7 is a perspective view, partially insection,

1930, Serial No. 436,244

of a carriage and associated tube gripping mechanism included in themachine;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational View of a mandrel included inthe machine and means for removing the trimmed end of the tubetherefrom;

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of a tube feeding cradle and the cradleoperating mechanism;

Fig.` 10 is a side elevational vieW of the carriage and acradle-operating lever associated therewith, the latter being shownpartly in section;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through the mandreland a knife supporting means taken on a line corresponding to line 11-11of Fig. 5; g Fig. l2 is a fragmentary perspective lView Vof certainknife operating mechanism;

Fig. 13 is a perspective View of one of the knife supporting blocks andknife adjusting means;

, Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a long tube, such as is intended tobe fed to, and cut into sections in, a machine of my invention;

Fig. l5 is-a fragmentary diagrammatic view partially in transversesection on a line corresponding to line 15-15 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic view showing the relative position of the tubesections as they are pushed from the mandrel to the conveyor to beejected from the machine.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, one portion of my machinemay be designated as a cutting zone, which comprises, as the drawingsare viewed, practically the entire left hand half of thernachine, Whilstthe right hand portion may be designated as the feeding zone.

It will be understood that the machine is so positioned in use that thefeeding zone thereof is adjacent the exit end of a suitable feed chuteshown diagrammatically in Figs; 6 and 15. The 9 chute is preferablyconnected with the tube delivery end of a suitable tube making machine.The tube walls are comparatively thin and made of paper or othersuitable material and the tubes are fed into the chute at apoint abovethe exit thereof so that they will roll down therethrough and falLasthey leave the chute, into a suitable cradle, the cradle being pivotallymounted longitudinally thereof so that it may be moved to carry a tuberesting therein to a position to be transferred into lthe cutting zoneof the machine, where it will be cut into a plurality of sections andthen be transferred back through the feeding zone and ejected from themachine into` a Suitable discharge chute.

The embodiment illustrated comprises a bed 1, comparatively narrow andsomewhat similar to an ordinary lathe bed, and supported on legs 2,which in turn support the mechanism included in the cutting zone. Anextension bed 3, which, in the present instance, comprises an invertedchannel bar, is securedv to the cutting Zone bed 1 and supported by thestandard 4. The bed 3 supports the mechanism included in the feedingZone.

A longitudinal shaft 5 is mounted in suitable bearings 6 and 7 on thebed 1, (Figs. 1 and 5) and supports a mandrel 8, which is of a suitablelength and diameter to receive one of the tubes to be cut. The tubes areeasily slipped on and off the mandrel but have suicient frictionalcontact therewith when they are forced against beveled end 9 (Figs. 5and 8), to cause them to beV rotated with the mandrel.

The shaft 5 and its associated mandrel may be driven and controlled byany suitable means such as tight and loose pulleys 10 and 11,respectively, the mandrel being constantly rotated during the operationof the machine.

The mandrel 8 is preferably made up of tubular sections 12 and 13, whichare slipped on the shaft and secured by the nut 14. The narrow sections13 are of comparatively soft material to provide a suitable cuttingsurface and to prevent dulling the rotary cutters, which will bedescribed later. The sections 12 may be of a length correspondingsubstantially to the length of tube section which it is desired to cut.

A transverse shaft 15.is mounted in the transmission casing 16, on thebracket 17, and is driven from the main shaft 5 for operating thecutting and feeding mechanisms.

The transmission means between the shafts 5 and 15 comprise a worm 18and a gear 19, the worm being secured on a stub shaft 20 which forms anextension of the main shaft 5 and to which Yit is connected by a exiblecoupling 21. The gear 19 is secured to the shaft 15. The purpose of thetransmission mechanism and the transverse shaft 15 is to drive anoscillating lever 22 pivoted fat 23 on a bracket 24, which latter is, inturn, secured to the side of the bed 1. The oscillating lever isoperatively connected to the transverse shaft 15 by means of a link 25,and a crank arm 26, which latter is secured to a driven member 27 of asuitable clutch on the transverse shaft 15. l

The clutch comprises a driving member `28, which is rigidly secured tothe shaft 15 and provided with an annular concentric bore 29 into whichextends a reduced cylindrical portion 30 of the 'driven member 27. Thereduced cylindrical portion 30 is machined for a free running t in thebore 29. A clutch pawl 31 is mounted for oscillation in the drivenmember 27, a reduced engaging portion 32 being machined von a radiussubstantially equal to the radius of the reduced cylindrical portion ofthe driven member. The pawl'` is provided with van outwardly 'extendingarm 33 and is normally held in the position shown in Figures 3 and 4 bymeans of a spring 34. In this position thereduced portion 32 is engagedin a slot 35 in the driving member 23. It is obvious that with the pawlin the position shownwhen the shaft 15 and its associated clutch drivingmember 28 are rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig.3,--the driving and driven members will be locked together'by the pawland the arm 26 will be rotated to oscillate the lever 22 by means of thelink 25. In order to dsengage the driving and driven clutch members, adetent 36 is slidably mounted in a bracket 37 and is secured to a rod 38which extends to a point adjacent the discharge chute of the machinewhere it may be operated by means which will be later described.

When the detent 36 is moved forward into the path of the pawl arm 33,the pawl will be moved to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4,releasing the reduced portion 32 from the slot 35 inthe driving member.The driven member will thusbe released and the crank arm 26 andoscillating-arm 22 will always stop in the position shown in Fig. 1, asonly one slot is provided in the driving-member. In order to preventback lash of the driven member and its associated mechanism, a brakeband 39 is secured to the bracket 17 by a bolt 40. The brake band isnormally held in position to allow the free rotation of the drivenmember, by means of the spring 41. Any back lash of the driven membercauses the brake band to be immediately engaged thereby.

A tube carriage 42 is mounted for longitudinal movement on a guide bar'43 and is connected to the oscillating lever 22 by means of a link 44.The guide bar 43 is mounted onY upright brackets 45 and 46 and extendsadjacent to and in parallel relation to the mandrel 8; The carriage isprovided with engaging means for the purpose of engaging the tube in thefeeding Zone of the machine and moving it onto the mandrel where it iscut into sections, which sections are then removed from the mandrel bythe same engaging means during the return movement of the carriage tothefeeding zone, these operations being Y accomplished during theoscillation of the lever A tube receiving cradle 47 is positioned in thefeeding Zone of the machine, being'mounted on suitable brackets 48 and49 on the extension feeding Zone bed 3. The cradle comprises a pluralityof skeleton frame members 50, secured to a shaft 51, and on which aresupported two guide bars 52 and 53. The frame members 50 are providedwith upwardly extending tube engaging portions 54. Tubes 55 are fed tothe cradle through a chute 56 (see Figs. 6 and 15) and drop by gravityinto the cradle as shown. When the cradle is oscillated to the positionshown by dotted lines in Figure 15, the tube is moved into alignmentwith the mandrel 8 and rests against a stationary guide bar 57, which ismounted on suitable brackets 58. The arcuate portion 50al of the cradleframe members 50 serves to retain the succeeding tubes in the chuteduring the oscillation of the cradle. 'I'he tube is then in a positionto be engaged by the carriage 42 when it is moved to the extremerearward position by the oscillating lever 22.

The cradle 47 is oscillated to move the tube into alignment with themandrel by means of an arm 59, a transverse rock shaft 60 and a lever 61mounted on said rock shaft. An arm 62 is secured to the cradle shaft 51and provided with avpin 63 engaging in a slot 64 in a rod 65, whichlatter is slidably mounted in a bearing 66 and arranged to be operablyengaged by the lever 61. It will be seen from Fig. 9 that a movement ofthe arm 59 in the direction of the arrow will cause the oscillation ofthe cradle to bring the tube therein into alignmentwith the mandrel. Thearm 59 is moved by engagement with the tube carriage as will bedescribed later.

The carriage 42 comprises a block 67 arranged to slide on the guide bar43, and which carries a roller 68 mounted on a bracket 69. An arcuatetube clamping member 70 is pivotally mounted at 71 on the carriage andprovided with a tube clamping portion 72 preferably having a lining 73of feltor other suitable material. Springs 70a aresecured to the bracket69 and the clamp member 70 for the purpose of holding the latter memberin clamping position. An adjustable stop 78 is provided to allow theclamping member to be accurately so adjusted that the tube may beclamped but the clamping member will clear the mandrel during itslongitudinal movement when a tube is not engaged.

A roller 74 is mounted on an arm 75 and, during the'extreme rearwardmovement of the carriage, is engaged by a cam bar 76 on the bracket 46`(Figs. 1 and 10) ,i this engagement causing the clamping member to beraised tothe position shown in Fig. 15 so that the tube may be receivedfrom the cradle between the roller 68 and the clamping member 70. Thecradle operating lever 59 extends through a slot 77 in a suitable cambar 78, which is also secured to the bracket 46. A dog member 79 isslidably mounted in a slot in the lever 59 and normally forced upwardlyby means of a spring 81, ears 82 being in slidable engagement with thecam bar 78.

When the carriage is moved to the extreme rearward position shown inFig. 10, a plate 83 secured to the carriage 42 is engaged behind the dogmember 79. As soon as the carriage starts its return movement, the lever59 will be moved to oscillate the cradle and move the tube intoposition, to be clamped in the carriage. At the same time the roller 74will be released from the cam bar 76 and the springs 70a will cause thetube to be clamped between the clamping member 70 and the roller 68. Thetube will be clamped a short distance from the left-hand endapproximately as shown in Fig. 8, and when it is carried onto themandrel during the return movement of i the carriage, it will engage abeveled flange 9 on the mandrel, where'it will be frictionally held forrotation therewith. At approximately the same time that the tube engagesthe beveled flange, the roller 74 will be engaged by `a cam member 85mounted on the guide bar 43 and the clamping member 70 will be raised toallow the free rotation of the tube with the mandrel.

In Fig. 8, a narrow ring or tube section 86 is illustrated, whichsection remains on the mandrel after the sections of the previously-cuttube are removed. The tubes as received at the loading zone usually haverough ends, which it is necessary to trim by one of the cutter knives tobe later described, the trimmed ring remaining on the mandrel as shown.In order to remove this ring so that the succeeding tube may engage theinclined flange 9, a spring 87 is secured to the carriage clampingmember 70 and extends to a point adjacent the mandrel, where it is in aposition to engage the ring section 86 and be raised by the beveledilange duringl the movement of the carriage, thereby breaking andremoving the ring from the mandrel.

During the time that the carriage clamping means is disengaged from thetube by means of the cam member 85 engaging the roller '74, the tube iscut into suitable length sections by a plurality of rotary cutters 88,each supported in a suitable block 89 mounted on a cutter bar 90, whichis pivoted for oscillation in bearings 91 and 92. These bearings areadjustably supported in suitable brackets 93 by means of threadedmembers 94 and lock nuts 95.` The cutter bar 90 and associated cutters88 are normally in a lowered position so that the cutters will notengage the tube while it is being moved onto the mandrel.'

During the time that the carriage clamping meansreleases the tubethrough `the cooperation of the cam member 85 with the roller 42, thecutters 88 are raised into engaging cutting position `with the tube bymeans of the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1 and 12. Said mechanismcomprises a roller 96 on the oscillating bar 22, the roller beingpositioned to engage an outwardly extending lug 97 on a slide member 98.The slide member is mounted in suitable guides 99 on the bracket 24.Atransverse rock-shaft 99 is mounted in suitable bearings on the bed 1and provided with an arm 100 engaging in slots 101 in the slide member98. The opposite end of the rock shaft 99 is operably connected to thecutter bar through an arm 102 engaging a spool 103, which latter isadjustably mounted on a link 104, pivoted at 105 on the cutter bar.

It will be understood from Figs. 11 and 12 theawhen the roller 96 on theoscillating lever 22 engages the lug 97,-the cutters 88 will be raisedto cutting position, as shown, and the tube will be cut into sections ofpredetermined length. As soon as the lever 22 starts its rearwardmovement, the cutters 88 are lowered out of engagement with the tube. Atthe same time, the roller 74 on the carriage is released `from the cam85, thereby again clamping the first section of thek tube sothat,-during `the rearward movement of the carriage,-all of the sectionswill be pushed from the mandrel. The last, or furthest tothe left,section (Fig. 5 and 6) is released from the carriage by the engagementof the carriage roller 74 with the cam member 76 and the consequentraising of the clamping member 70.

In order to remove the sections from the machinelas they are pushed fromthe mandrel, a suitable conveyor is provided comprising belts 106 and107 mounted on pulleys 108 and 109, respectively, said pulleys beingsupported on suitable brackets on the extension bed 3. Suitable belttighteners are provided as at 110. These conveyor belts are driven atrelatively high speed by means of a motor 111 mounted on a bracket 112,the latter being adjustably supported on the standard 4. A belt 113connects the motor with a drive pulley 114 on a conveyor drive shaft115. The conveyor belts travel in the direction of the arrow shown inFigure 16 and are positioned somewhat below the center line of themandrel, so that the tubes as they are pushed from the mandrel fall onthese conveyor belts as shown and are moved to the rear of the machine,where they are `ejected into a chute 116. Conveyor belt supporting guidebars 117 are supported on suitable brackets 118 to guide the belt andprevent sagging or lateral movement. Out-turned side guide bars 119 aresupported on upright brackets 120, in order to retain the tubes on theconveyor. One of the conveyor belts is shorter than the other and at agreater distance from the mandrel, as shown, thereby permitting theshort, trimmed section of the tube adjacent the end of the mandrel todrop from the machine without being engaged by the conveyor. It will beunderstoodthat all of the operation of the machine are synchronized inorderthat they occur in proper sequence. The cradle 47,- aiter a tubedrops thereinto,-is rotated through approximately 90 to move the tubeinto alignment with the mandrel. The tube is then clamped in the'carriage and is moved onto the.

mandrel. After the tube is released fromthe carriage the cuttingoperation is` performed. The first cut section of the tube is againgrasped in the carriage, the cradle is returned to its originalposition, andthe sections are pushed fromv removed yfrom the chute 116as fast as they arev supplied thereto, an arm 122 is secured to a rockshaft 123, which is mounted in the brackets 120. The rock shaft 123 isconnected to the clutch detent rod 38, previously mentioned, by means ofan upwardly extending arm 124. When the chute 116 is filled with tubesections, the arm 122 will.

be raised, thereby pushing the detentr 36 into engaging positionwith'the clutch pawl arm 33 and stopping the feeding and cuttingoperations by releasing the clutch driven member as previouslydescribed. v

As previously mentioned, the rotary cutters 88 are mounted on' theblocks 89 on the cutter bar 90. Each block is longitudinally adjustableo-n the cutter bar by means of a dovetail connection therewith, saidconnection lcomprising tongue 125 on the bar, and a groove 126 kin theblock (Fig. 13). The block is clamped to the tongue 125 by a clampingplate 127 pivoted at 128, and arranged to be clamped against the tongueby a screw 129.

A lever 130 is pivoted at 131 and engages the bearing portionA of therotary cutter 88 for adjusting the relative position of the cutter, theadjustment being accomplished by a thumb screw 132 in cooperativevengagement with the lever 130. The screw is provided with a lock nut133 and the cutter is secured in adjusted position by a bearing screw134.

The adjusting means just described makes possible the cutting ofsections of any desired length Within the capacity of the machine, andthe accurate adjustment of the cutters relative to the mandrel surface.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that the aforedescribed machine mayv be varied in its physicalembodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention, and Idesire, therefore, that the same be limited only by the scope of theprior art and the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimv and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a tube cutting machine, a mandrel, a relatively short carriageadjacent said mandrel and longitudinally movable relative thereto tomove a tube onto said mandrel, means for cutting the tube on saidmandrel, spring-controlled means on said carriage for alternatelygrasping and releasing a tube, and means to cause said grasping means tobe released at each end of the carriage movement and to be engagedduring the intermediate part of the movement.

2. In an apparatus for dividing a tube into a plurality ofpredeterminedlengths, a mandrel for supporting a tube while being cut, atube supply, means for receiving a tube from said supply and placing iton said mandrel, said last'- named means including a cradle into whichtubes are fed and movable into alignment with said During the operationof the cradle, the` tube supply to receive a tube and out of alignmentto form barrier against further tube feed.

3. In an apparatus for dividing a tube into a plurality of predeterminedlengths, a mandrel for supporting a tube while being cut,r a tubesupply, means for automatically receiving a tube from said supplyandplacing it on said mandrel, said last means including a movable cradleinto which a tube is fed from the tube supply, clamping means vengagingsaid tube near the end adjacent said mandrel to move said tube onto saidmandrel, andy means releasing said clamping means during cutting on themandrel whereby said clamping means both applies and removes the tube.

4. In an apparatus fordividing a tube into a plurality of predeterminedlengths, a mandrel for supporting a tube while being divided, means forfeeding Atubes laterally from a tube supply and for aligning successivetubes with the mandrel, said last means being adapted to intermittentlyconstitute a barrier against further tube feed, and means for placingthe tubes one by one on said mandrel.

5. In anapparatusfor dividing a tube into a pluralityv of predeterminedlengths, a mandrel for supporting a tube while being cut, a tube supply,means for automatically receiving a tube from said supply and placing`it on said mandrel, said last means comprising a cradle into which atube is fed, means for shifting said cradle so that the tube will be inaxial alignment with said mandrel, means for transferring said tube fromsaid cradle to said mandrel, the cradle further comprising means forstopping the tube supply during said transfer, cutting means. and meansfor removing the tube sections after cutting.

6.Irn an apparatus for dividing a tube into a plurality of predeterminedlengths, a mandrel for supporting atubepwhile being cut, a tubesupply,means for automatically receiving a tube from said supply andplacing it on said mandrel, said last means comprising a cradle intowhich a tube is fed, which cradle is pivotally mounted longitudinally ofits length, means for rotating said cradle about its pivotal mounting tobring said tube into position to be transferred to said mandrel, thecradle `during said rotation constituting a barrier against further tubefeed, means for grasping said tube and moving it longitudinally ontosaid mandrel, cutting means adapted to be moved into cutting relationwith said tube on said mandrel, and means for removing the cut tube. y

'7. In an apparatus for dividing a tube into predetermined lengths, amandrel to receive the tube, transfer means automatically operable toengage one end of said tube and movable to plas-'f said tube on saidmandrel and to later remove it therefrom, means foi` dividing the tubeon said mandrel, means interrupting tube engagement during the dividingoperation, and means for causing a reengagement of said tube whereby thetransfer means both applies and removes said tubes.

8. In an apparatus for dividing a tube into lengths, a mandrel toreceive the tube, means for consecutively positioning tubes, transfermeans for automatically placing a positioned tube on said mandrel andcomprising a reciprocable carriage having tube carrying means thereryingmeans during the cutter contact and allowl ing reengagement `to strip4the lengthsfrom the mandrel. i Y 1 9. In an apparatus `for dividing` atubev into a plurality of predeterminedvlengths, a mandrel correspondingin shape with the tube-to be severed, transfer` means for automaticallyplacing a tube on said mandrel including a cradle into which the tubesare initially fed, means for moving said cradle to bring said tube intoaxial alignment with said Vmandrel, reciprocal means having africtionally engaging finger for grasping a tube and moving itlengthwise onto said mandrel, and means for causing an element of saidtransfer means to strip the cut tube sections from said mandrel on itsreturn stroke. n

10. An automatic machine for receiving and cutting tubes and Ahaving,included therein a cutting zone andra feeding zone, means for receivinga tube in the feeding Yzone, means for moving the tube to the cuttingZone, meansior cutting the tube, means for movingthe cut tube to thefeeding zone, means for e'jecting the cut tubes, and automaticmeansassociated with the ejecting means for controlling the tube feedingmeans.

11. An apparatus for dividing a tube into predetermined lengths, saidapparatus including a feeding zone and a cutting zone, means for movinga tube from a supplyto the feeding zone, a reciprocating means forengaging and pulling the tube from the feeding Zone tothe cutting zone,means in the cutting zone for cutting the tube, and means for reengagingand pushing the cut tube to `the feedinzl zone.

12. `It tube cutting device including a cutting zone and a feeding zonein `substantially axial relation, means for moving a tube from a supplyinto said feeding Zone, `a reciprocating `member havingtube-surface-engaging` means for automatically engaging and moving thetubefrom the feeding zone to the cutting zone and automaticallyreleasing the tube in the cutting zone, means for causing the releaseand reengagement of the tube in the cutting zone,means for cutting thetube into sections during the disengagement, means whereby the cutsections are removed from the cutting zone tothe feeding zone duringreengagement, and ejecting means for moving the sections from thefeeding zone, all of the movements of said tube and saidsections throughsaid `zones being on substantiallythe same axial line. n

13. A tube cutting machine comprising a rotating mandrel, means forbringing atube into alignment with said mandrel, n reciprocating meansfor engaging the side ofsaid-tube and placing it on saidmandrel, meansfor releasing said engaging means andmeansfor cutting said tube intosections, saidreciprocating means1 4automatically i operating during`movement in the opposite direction toreengage` the side of said tube toremove the sections 'from `said mandrel after the cutting operation. l

14. Anautomatica'llyoperable tube cutting apparatus comprising arotatable mandrel, means for moving tubes into axial alignment with saidmandrel, means Ior engaging andm'oving a tube onto' said mandrel, meansforwdisengaging the ,engagin'gmeana means for cutting the tube'fwhiledisengaged, and means .including the engaging means for reengaging andremoving the tube from `said madrel., 1g;

15. A tube trimming devicefcomprising 'a mandrel, a longitudinallymovable tube carriage ,for l carrying a tube onto said` mandrel, meansfor trimming ,the end of said tube, and longitudinally operabley meansfor removing the trimmed end of the tube tranversely from said mandrel,i

16. A tube trimming device comprising a mandrel, a longitudinallymovable carriage for carrying a tube onto said mandrel, means fortrimming the end of said` tube, and means on said carriage forautomatically engaging insidelsaid trimmed end and removing the trimmedend of the tube from'said mandrel, n

17. A tube trimming device comprising a mandrel, a longitudinallymovable carriage for placing a tubeon said mandrel, means for trimmingthe end of said tubeand automatic meansfor rupturing the trimmed end oithe tube and causing it to be removed from said mandrel during themovement oi the succeeding tube.. onto the mandrel. 18. A tube cuttingmachine comprising a mandrel, means for receiving a tube and moving ittransversely into alignment with said mandrel, a mechanism for clampingsaid tubeand longitudinally moving said tube onto the mandrel, means forcutting the tube, means to release and reengage said tube during andafter cutting respectively for longitudinally removing the cut tube fromthe mandrel, means for operating said receiving means, and means foroperating said cutting means, both of said last means cooperating withsaid tube-moving mechanism for synchronizing all of the said operations.

19. An automatic tube cutting machine lcomprising a transverselyoscillatable tube receiving 1neansa transversely oscillatable tubecutting means, means for moving tre tube from thereceiving means to aposition adjacent the cutting means,Y means for rotating the tube tripvmeans cooperating with said tube moving means for moving said receivingmeans, and trip means cooperating with said tube moving means for L icotransversely oscillating the cutting means toengage the tube, the `tubemoving means being adapted to remove the tube after the cutting iseffected.

` i 20. In an apparatus for dividingla tube into, a

,plurality of predetermined lengths, an oscillat- .ing cradle forreceiving a tube, means forsupplying tubes to said cradle by gravity,amandrel, means for oscillating said cradle to allow said tubeto move bygravity into alignment with vsaid mandrel, a longitudinally movable tubegripping means for moving the tube onto said mandrel, said cradle`including a guide for guiding `said tube while it is being moved ontosaid mandrel, means for cutting said tube into lengths,

said gripping means being adapted to remove the tube lengths from saidmandrel after said V,cra-

dle has been returned to tube receiving position.

` 21. In an apparatus for dividing a tube into cradle for retarding thetubes in said supplying `means while said cradle is being oscillated,means for oscillating saidcradle to allovvthe tube therein to` move bygravity into alignment withsaid mandrel, anzoscillating tube grippingmeans for gripping the tube adjacent its ends and moving it onto themandrel, means for releasing the .tube gripping means to allow the tubetorotate `with vturn movement of the gripping means.

the mandrel, andmeans for cutting the tube into ist 22. A tube cuttingmachine comprising a movable means for receiving a tube from a tubesupply, a tube supporting means, means for moving said tube from saidreceiving means to said supporting means, movable means for cutting thetube, means cooperating with said tube moving means during the initialpart of its forward movement to move said receiving means, and meanscooperating with the tube moving means during the latter part of itsforward movement to operate said cutting means.

23. A tube cutting machine comprising a tube receiving means, a tubesupporting means, a longitudinally movable carriage for moving said tubefrom the receiving means to the supporting means, a tube clamping meanson said carriage, and 'means independent of said carriage andcooperative therewith during its initial movement to operate saidclamping means.

24. A tube cutting machine comprising a tube receiving means, a tubesupporting means, a longitudinally movable carriage for moving said tubefrom said receiving means to said supporting means, a tube engagingmeans on said carriage, means cooperating with said carriage during itsinitial movement for operating said engaging means, andmeans'cooperating with said carriage during the latter part of thecarriage movement to release said engaging means.

25. A tube cutting machinev comprising a movable tube receiving means, atube supporting member, a movable tube engaging means for moving saidtube from said receiving means to said supporting means, means fordisengaging the engaging means, a movable cutting means for cutting saidtube into sections, means for reengaging the engaging means to removethe cut tube from the supporting means, Vall of said means beingsynchronously controlled for continuous consecutive operation.

26. A tube cutting machine including a cutting zone and a feeding zonein substantially axial relation, a longitudinally movable carriage formoving a tube into and out of said cutting zone, and means on saidcarriage for engaging and disengaging said tube during one directionalmovement of the carriage and for reengaging and disengaging said tubeduring the opposite directional movement.

27. A tube cutting machine including a cutting zone and a feeding zonein substantially axial relation, a longitudinally movable carriage formoving a tube into and out of said cutting zone, means on said carriagefor engaging and disengaging said tube during one directional movementof the carriage and for reengaging and disengaging said tube during theopposite directional movement, and means for cutting the tube during thedisengagement of the engaging means.

28. A tube cutting machine including a cutting zone and a feeding zonein substantially axial relation, a longitudinally movable carriage formoving a tube into and out of said cutting zone, means on said carriagefor engaging and disengaging said tube during one directional movementof the carriage for reengaging and disengaging said tube during theopposite directional movement, means for cutting said tube into sectionsduring disengagement of the engaging means, and meansfor ejecting thesections through the feeding Zone at a speed relatively greater than thespeed of the carriage.'

29. A tube cutting machine including a cutting zone and a feeding zonein substantially axial relation, a longitudinally' movable carriage` formoving a tube into and out of said cutting Zone, means on saidcarriagefor engaging and disengaging said tube during one directional movementof the carriage and for reengaging and disengaging said tube during theopposite directional movement, means for cutting said tube into sectionsduring disengagement of the engaging means, means for ejectingthesections through the feeding Zone at a speed relatively greater thanthe speed of the carriage, and means operable by the sections forcontrolling the operation of the carriage.

30. A tube cutting machine including a tube receiving zone and a tubecutting zone insubstantially axial alignment, a drive shaft, a mandrelon said shaft and extending into said cutting zone, a longitudinallymovable carriage adjacent said mandrel for moving a tube from saidreceiving zone onto and off from said mandrel, means operably connectedwith said drive shaft for moving said carriage, means for cutting saidtube while lon said mandrel, means on said carriage for engaging anddisengaging said tube during one directional movement of the carriageand for reengaging and disengaging said tube during the oppositedirectional movement, and ejector means for ejecting the cut tube.

3l. In a tube cutting machine, a mandrel, means for placing tubes onsaid mandrel comprising a longitudinally movable carriage, a tubeengaging stop member on said carriage, means for moving a tubeagainstsaid stop and into alignment with said mandrel, africtionally-engaging means on said carriage for engaging said tubebetween said stop and said engaging means, and means for moving saidengaging means to disengaging position adjacent each end of thelongitudinal movement of the carriage.

32. A tube cutting machine including a feeding zone and a cutting zonein substantially axial alignment, a tube supporting means in saidcutting Zone, means for transferringY atube from ythe feeding zone tothe supporting means, means for cutting the tube into sections, meansfor removing the out sections from said supporting means, and means formoving the sections through the receiving zone below the axial linethereof.

33. A tube cutting machine including a feeding zonek and a cutting zone,a mandrel in said cutting zone, a driving means for said mandrel,

means for moving a tube from said feeding zone onto said mandrel, meansfor cutting said tube into sections, said moving means being adapted toremove the sections from-said mandrel, a.

transmission means between said driving means and said moving means, aclutch in said transmission means, and means for controlling said clutchby said removed sections.

34. In a Vtube cutting machine, a mandrel,` a

transfer means for automatically placing a tube on said mandrelcomprising a carriage movable longitudinally of said mandrel,spring-controlled for pushing the out sections off of said mandrel aftersaid tube has been divided, and means to effect the release of saidclamping means while the tube-is being cut.

36. In an apparatus for dividing a tube into a plurality ofpredetermined lengths, a mandrel for supporting a tube while being cut,an oscillatable means for disposing a tube in position to be transferredto said mandrel, and clamping means comprising a member engaging saidtube to pull it onto said mandrel, said means also functioning aftersaid tube has been subdivided to push the divided sections off of saidmandrel, and means to effect the release of said clamping means whilethe tube is being cut.

37, An apparatus for dividing a tube into lengths and having a feedingZone and a dividing Zone, means in said feeding Zone for isolating atube from a supply, means for making a positive connection with the sideof said tube for movement thereof, said last means being reciprocable tomove said tube to and from said` dividing zone, and means for dividingsaid tube in said dividing zone.

38. An 4apparatus for dividing a tube into lengths comprising a mandrel,a tube cutter, means for moving a tube from a tube supply into alignmentwith said mandrel, means for positively engaging the side of the tubeand operable for reciprocating the tube to and from a position on saidmandrel, and means to cause relative cooperative cutting movementbetween the cutter and tube while the tube is on said mandrel.

39. An apparatus for dividing a tube into lengths, means for segregatinga tube from a supply, dividing means, reciprocable means for positivelyengaging the cylindrical surface of said tube and moving the tubelongitudinally into and out of dividing position, and means for causingthe dividing means to divide said tube while the tube is in dividingposition.

40. A tube dividing machine comprising means for segregating a tube froma supply, means movable transversely of the axis of said tube topositively engage said tube for longitudinal movement and movable tocarry said tube to a dividing position, dividing means operable todivide said tube in said dividing position, and means to discharge saidtube.

41. An apparatus for dividing a tube into lengths and having a feedingZone and a dividing zone, means in said feeding zone for isolating atube from a supply, means for making a positive connection with the sideof said tube for movement thereof, said positive connection means beingmovable to reciprocate said tube on its longitudinal axis, and means fordividing said tube at a predetermined point in its reciprocal movement.

42. A continuously operable tube dividing machine comprising a mandrel,a reciprocable means for moving a tube onto said mandrel from a positionsubstantially in alignment therewith, and means controlled by saidreciprocable means for transferring a tube from a supply into alignmentwith the mandrel, said last means being returnable by gravity to receivea subsequent tube.

43. A continuously operable tube dividing machine comprising a mandrel,reciprocable means for engaging a tube and moving it onto the mandrelfrom a position substantially in alignment therewith, means controlledby said reciprocable means during the initial part of its forwardmovement to transfer a tube in said alignment from a supply, saidreciprocable means being arranged to engage said tube and substantiallysimultaneously release said transferring means whereby it will move to aposition to receive a succeeding tube when the engaged tube is movedtherefrom.

44. In a tube dividing machine of the character described, thecombination of a constantly rotating mandrel in a fixed location, meansfor moving a tube from a supply into alignment therewith, means formoving said tube onto said mandrel, said mandrel rotating said tube byfriotion, means for dividing said tube, and means for discharging saidtube, all of said means being synchronized for continuous operation inthe order recited.

ALLAN M. SCOTT.

